The Painting of Walls.

Something I used to do for a living, was the painting of walls.
And associated physical effort type behavior.
I got quite good at it, habit and practice tend to do this, although most jobs turned out well, there was always the odd failure of course.
In my case they tended to be quite spectacular or ridiculous.... or a combination of the 2.
I may journal some of these one day, though anonymity may have to be used to prevent embarrassment to certain parties (mainly myself).



When your on a painting job, the mind can wander, even up a ladder, as dipping the brush into the pot and applying it to the wall really only takes a tiny amount of brain power, but all that fresh air, and the pumping, circulating blood maybe account for the increased thought processing that can happen at the most unexpected of times.

I probably daydreamed great dreams and mighty plans during these days of labour. Most of which slipped away into the weariness of the day, as the Sciatic pains started to take over from the daydreaming, and down from the ladder, reality kicks in, tools are put away and, all too soon, another day has passed.

Nowadays I try to avoid picking up the brush with every excuse i can muster... but do get railroaded into compliance by the good Mrs every now and again (she is very clever).

This week it started with 'Can you just level out this front garden a bit, for the gravel that's coming"? (Huh! news to me)!!!
"Its just a bit too tough for me" she says "It won't take you long".

Hmmm....




So I find myself at the top of a ladder, paintbrush in hand, looking down upon said levelled front garden, 5 days later, wondering, and muttering..... 'Yes, she is very clever"....


But, the old pride in yer work thingy has kicked in, and the weather has been kind, and shush, but dont say a thing to her.... I think I am enjoying myself.


So, this is my philosophical moment captured for the day, thus:

Success, Failure and Truth.

Every thing attempted, ot created, made, built, touched by human hand - every scheme schemed, every plan laid, every order given, received, carried out, every job undertaken and begun, EVERY one of these things has a process, a way forward, a plan.
And in these processes, to get from one stage to the next, therein lies something we know as truth.
If you do A, by doing it via process B and C, then you end up with D.
Carried out correctly, therein lies an element of truth.

However, do not be fooled by thinking that because of the success of this formula that you have any more then a mere inkling of what truth is.
To know this, you must go to the second word..... failure.

For in failure, that is where truth really shows is self.
By failure I do not mean not trying, for that is not failure, that is just well.... not trying!.

Real failure, where you have given your heart and soul and reached so deep into yourself that it actually hurts, and you still come up short - this is where you are sure to encounter many many truths, about yourself, about other people, about the very nature of things in an imperfect and broken world.

This is where truth lives. In failure. Do not be afraid of it. It will teach you much. It will break you. It will make you, or continue the making of you, as this process never stops.

Go. Do. Involve. Evolve. Fail. Nothing to stop you from trying again, and what you learned in your failure will equip you for the next, greater challenge that lies ahead.

Be beautiful and also, careful on those ladders that you climb.......